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Geothermal Power Plants in New Zealand

New Zealand generates geothermal-powered energy from 7 geothermal power plants across the country. In total, these geothermal power plants has a capacity of 666.0 MW.

Name Capacity (MW) Type Other Fuel Commissioned Owner
Kawerau 100.0 MW Geothermal 2008 Mercury Energy
Nga Awa Purua 138.0 MW Geothermal 2010 Mercury Energy
Ohaaki 122.0 MW Geothermal 1984 Contact Energy
Rotokawa 34.0 MW Geothermal 2000 Mercury Energy
Te Huka Binary 28.0 MW Geothermal 2010 Contact Energy
Wairakei 132.0 MW Geothermal Contact Energy
mokai 112.0 MW Geothermal 2000 Mercury Energy

What types of geothermal power plants are there?

There are three main types of geothermal power plants in use for utility-scale electricity production.

Dry steam power plants

This type of plant uses steam from underground reservoirs to directly turn the turbines and generate electricity. Dry steam power plants are typically located near geothermal steam sources and require high-temperature geothermal resources.

Flash steam power plants

These plants are the most common type of geothermal power plant and use hot water from the underground reservoirs to create steam that powers the turbines. The hot water is brought to the surface at high pressure and then "flashed" into steam by reducing the pressure, which then drives the turbines.

Binary cycle power plants

This type of plant uses a heat exchanger to transfer heat from geothermal fluids to a secondary fluid with a lower boiling point, such as isobutane or pentane. The secondary fluid vaporizes and drives the turbine, which then generates electricity. Binary cycle power plants can operate at lower temperatures than dry steam and flash steam power plants and can make use of lower-temperature geothermal resources.

How does geothermal power plants generate elecricity?

Geothermal power plants use steam to turn large turbines, which run electrical generators, either with dry steam, flash steam, or binary cycle technology.

How much electricity is generated from geothermal energy each year?

According to the latest data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the global geothermal power capacity reached 14.9 GW at the end of 2020, generating 97.2 TWh of electricity annually.

Data Information

This data is a derivitive set of data gathered by source mentioned below.

Data Sources

Global Energy Observatory/Google/KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm/Enipedia/World Resources Institute/database.earth